Minnesota lawmakers rested while they could Tuesday morning as the Legislature braced for a marathon special session to finish their work for the year.

DFL Gov. Mark Dayton and Republican leaders in the state House and Senate cut a budget deal around 11 p.m. Monday night. With only an hour remaining until the midnight deadline for adjournment, Dayton and the leaders agreed on an immediate, brief special session to sew up the $46 billion, two-year state budget.

It’s been all quiet at the Capitol since then. The House and Senate plan to reconvene at 3 p.m., with plans to work through the night in hopes of adjourning the special session at 7 a.m. Wednesday.

It’s not yet clear if that will be possible. By Tuesday afternoon, new budget bills that incorporate compromises between Dayton and Republican leaders on tens of billions of dollars in spending on schools, health and human services programs, transportation, public works construction projects and tax cuts were still under wraps. . . .

We're told now at HTV1 that the reconvening at the call of the chair may happen at 6:00 p.m., moving the discussion closer to the dark of night. Meanwhile, Representative Rick Hansen, DFL-S. St. Paul, has a practical suggestion for frustrated citizens fed up with the conventional wisdom that we don't give a rip about the process:

Show up at your MN Capitol tonight Bring a 🔦, flash light feature, or head lamp. Find out 💡what is going on in the dark of night. 🕯#mnleg

Were we not hours away, near the South Dakota border, we'd probably do just that. Readers who are closer might consider grabbing a flashlight and heading over to shine a little light on the proceedings. It's our government and it looks like those folks in St. Paul need a lot of help.

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New GOP Party Chair Jennifer Carnahan hasn’t been on the job more than two days but she sent a clear message Monday night after a racist Facebook post appeared on the page for Minnesota Seventh District Republicans. Aimed at U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, the post was crude and called Ellison an “anti-Semite, anti-white, racist and fascist American.”

Carnahan issued a fast rebuke of the post and asked for the resignation of the individual behind it, though she did not name him or her publicly. DFL Chair Ken Martin criticized the GOP for the post.

Carnahan’s statement: “The recent 7th Congressional District Republican Facebook post is repugnant hate speech and in no way reflects the values of the Minnesota Republican Party, or the 7th Congressional District Republicans. I have asked for the immediate resignation of the individual responsible for this action. As Chair, I will not tolerate such activity from anyone associated with our party.”

The speed was unusual, but Carnahan’s swift response earned the praise of some supporters on Twitter, including state Rep. Jim Nash, R-Waconia, who wrote: “CD7 shows stupidity in great quantity. New MNGOP Chair does good job in rapidly condemning post and seeking resignation of idiots.” . . .

Bob EnosFrankly, calling Ellison anti-Semitic, anti-white, bigoted, and fascist may be a lot of things, but I don't see how any of that is racist. He's an elected politician, he makes a lot of bad calls, and he doesn't get a free pass. Even the "goat humper" comment isn't racist, if you think about it. It might be, were Ellison from a Middle Eastern country, or from Afghanistan, but he's not!

Enos reserved some of his scorn for Waconia state representative Jim Nash, a conservative Republican known for his strong policy positions on the Second Amendment.

Bob EnosAlso, Rep. Jim Nash would do well from painting Republican in CD-7 with the same broad brush. He indeed sounds like an idiot - we have enough trouble with the Democrats slurring us, they don't need HIS help!

(Minneapolis, MN) -- The Minneapolis Park Board last night voted to change the name of Lake Calhoun. They have opted to to rename the waterway Bde Maka Ska (Buh-day mah-kah- Skuh) which translates from Dakota to mean “white bank lake.” Advocates for the name change lobbied against the lake being named after former vice president John Calhoun because they believe he was a supporter of slavery. The Park Board will now send a request to the Hennepin County Board. The panel in turn must hold a public hearing, vote to approve the change and then make a proposal to Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.

Bob Enos It's sort of a toilet in reverse. The French use them in place of toilet paper, as it shoots water upward, over a porcelain receptacle that looks like a toilet.

Another Facebook friend later replied:

Lynn Woitalla So, they want to change the name of a well-known lake and call it a toilet for white people? And that's not discriminatory or insulting to anyone? So, only white's can use it??

Well, no, Lynn, "they" don't. It's solely Mr. Enos' notion that making a joke insulting Dakota people and their language is suitable for public discourse. One could argue rationally against reverting to the older name for the lake without making offensive pun, but Enos apparentlty can't stop at that. A good short review of the history and recovery of the language--and a moving short film--can be found at Dakota Iapi Teunhindapi: We Cherish the Dakota Language.

Were Enos simply a private citizen, little of this would be a problem for Jennifer Carnahan and the Republican Party of Minnesota. The uncivil and racist speech would simply be yet another toxic old guy exercising his civil liberties to open his mouth and demonstrate just what an idiot (to borrow Jim Nash's term) like those individual Democrats leaving racist nastygrams for Carnahan that Mike McIntee reported in Racist Post Sparks Threats, Racial Slurs Aimed At MN GOP Chair.

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The Facebook page from Minnesota’s Seventh Congressional District Republican Party on Monday night featured a post with racist and derogatory language superimposed on a photo of U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, D.-Minn.

It was swiftly rebuked by DFL and GOP leaders.

Republican Party of Minnesota Chair Jennifer Carnahan issued a statement saying she had asked for the “immediate resignation” of the person responsible for the post.

In a phone interview a short time later, she would not identify the person who posted the anti-Ellison photo and words on Facebook but said that person “has been identified ... and they no longer represent our party. They resigned immediately.”

The post was up for several hours on Monday night. It has been taken down, but screen shots of it were posted on Twitter and other social media sites. . . .

It featured an image of Ellison, dressed in camouflage hunting gear and posing with a wild turkey he apparently had shot. The post writer also derided U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minn., saying “Peterson has been sliding [sic] up to head Muslim [expletive] Keith Ellison. Heck, they’re now hunting buddies. Does that mean Muslim refugees coming to western Minnesota?”

Never underestimate the 7th Congressional District Republicans. On Monday, a post on the official Facebook page of that unit of the Republican Party of Minnesota tried going after DFL U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson, who represents the area, by connecting him to DFL U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison, who represents Minneapolis.

I am opposed to waterboarding muslim terrorists, but probably not why you think. I am opposed to waterboarding muslim terrorists because it is a waste of resources. They are muslims, they are terrorist, we know where they are from, we know where their buddies are, we know where thier mosque's are, we know millions of these parasites travel to Mecca every year and when...FRAG 'EM! Simplicity. I love when it all comes together!

The post was picked up by Jennifer Brooks at the Star Tribune, who gave the hat tip to Bluestem, and Whitley was soon history.

More CD7 GOP Facebook page awfulness

Whitley's posts are being cited as earlier evidence of a lack of boundary limits by CD7 Republicans, but the district's social media rudeness on its twitter and Facebook accounts caught heck before Carnahan needed to spank the admin, with an earlier anonymous offender also removed. In November 2015, Talking Point Memo's Sara Jerde summed it up in Minnesota GOPers Get Heat For Posting About Democrats’ ‘Negro Problem’:

The chairman of the Minnesota Republican Party was forced to apologize Tuesday after a local GOP branch posted about state Democrats’ “#Negroproblem” on social media.

The 7th Congressional District GOP borrowed the term from a blog post they shared on Facebook and Twitter on Sunday, according to the alternative weekly Minneapolis City Pages. The blog post, written on the website Our Black News, was about the state’s Democrat-Farmer-Labor party, which the author wrote had called for a “special session” to address the “Negro problem in Minnesota.”

“MN DFL now propose a ‘special session’ to deal with their self-created ‘#Negroproblem,” the posts read, according to City Pages.

The DFL party quickly put the The 7th Congressional District GOP on blast.

“You don’t have to look far to find ignorant hate speech masquerading as acceptable party messaging,” DFL state Chairman Ken Martin said in a statement, according to the report. “However, this is not the first time the Minnesota Republican Party and their affiliates have posted racially insensitive material.” . . .

In response to the criticism, state Republican Party Chairman Ken Downey tweeted that the person in charge of the local party’s social media accounts was “relieved of duties” . . .

. . .Founded in 2007, Chain Bridge served John McCain’s presidential campaign in 2008 and Mitt Romney’s in 2012. House Speaker John Boehner keeps ­fundraising accounts there; so does the Republican National Committee. It’s also served political action committees for Altria Group, the National Association of Convenience Stores, and the Outdoor Advertising Association of America. “The largest issue that we would always have with people is that they’d be like, ‘Why would we use this Podunk little bank in McLean, Virginia?’ ” says Bradley Crate, Romney’s 2012 chief financial officer. He routinely refers clients of his consulting firm Red Curve Solutions to the bank, including both Florida Senator Marco Rubio and Trump. Chain Bridge offers services tailored to the idiosyncrasies of campaigns, which deposit and then spend enormous sums quickly, with no credit history to lean on. “I know I can call my contacts at Chain Bridge Bank and have an account open in like 15 minutes,” Crate says. “If you go to a much larger bank, you have a ­bureaucracy you have to deal with.” . . .

Of course, one might not have to deal with a larger bank's bureaucracy had Miller chosen a financial institution in CD7 run by conservatives. We suspect such creatures exist.

Top image: Screenshot of the Facebook post from the 7th District Republicans (Micheal Brodkorb screenshot) via the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

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Join Hands for Pollinators is an invitation to connect and see, feel and touch springtime on the prairie, as plants, animals and people awaken and new life begins. Pollinators begin their essential role in producing our food, and in Joraan’s Orchard at Prairie Horizons Farm, they come in many shapes and sizes. Native pollinators are picking up the workload of honeybees in decline, and they need our help, just as we need theirs. Strawberries, grapes, plums, pears, apricots and so many more food bearing plants are the gifts to us from pollinators. We haven’t paid much attention to the Natives until now. Join Hands for Pollinators is an invitation to get to know them, where they live and what they need to live, so that we and future generations can thrive together. Families with children and grandchildren are especially welcome! Click here to RSVP.

Learn to Prune with Carmen Converse, friend, orchardist and former supervisor of the Minnesota Biological Survey. Carmen began Minnesota’s Biological Survey in 1987, the same year that Joraan was born!

5:30: Announcing the formation of Joraan’s Orchard Cooperative!

6:00: POTLUCK! Please bring a dish to share, a serving utensil if appropriate, and your favorite lawn chair if you have one. We will supply water, lemonade, coffee, tea, plates, cups, silverware and napkins, along with Prairie Horizons BBQ beef on a bun and a XXL pot of vegetarian chili to share.

7:00: Joraan’s Orchard Walking Tours and Sing-a-Long for kids of all ages

8:00: Light the Bonfire & let the night music begin! Featured musical guests, but bring your instrument (your voice is always a good one!) if you want to join in.

You are welcome to camp at Prairie Horizons on Saturday, May 6th. Please register each camper via the online registration form by May 3rd, or call 320-760-8732. Thank you!

Check out Mary Jo's Keynote Speech at the 2016 Midwest Organic and Sustainable Service Conference to learn more about the Prairie Horizons Farm story.

Image: The poster for the event.

If you appreciate our posts and original analysis, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 33166 770th Ave, Ortonville, MN 56278) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the paypal subscription button.

In recent years, there has been plenty of talk about a potential high-speed rail line from Rochester to the Twin Cities. But so far, those efforts have failed to advance. . . .

Reiter said that when it comes to rail, there have been inaccurate statements made in the past about the number of Twin Cities commuters.

"There've been comments in the past going back a number of years that we have a couple of thousand people coming from the Twin Cities that work here. There's just no evidence that's really true," Reiter said.

Instead, he said the numbers are more like 400 to 600. He said those ridership numbers would make a rail line from Rochester to the Twin Cities a challenge — unless there was a connection to Chicago as well.

Could that teeny-tiny data point be the blow to the brain that buries a land-grabbing, short-line high-speed rail project? We hesitate to say yes.

Dear Answer Man, will you answer this once and for all: Is Zip Rail dead or is it not dead?

It's dead.

But what if Zip Rail just looks dead and is a zombie, just waiting for the right moment to get back on track?

At some point down the road, some brave souls may try another plan for a high-speed passenger train between Rochester and the Twin Cities. But I guarantee you that if they do, it won't be called Zip Rail. That name has been rendered unusable by opponents of the project. Its only value now is as a political bogeyman. . . .

That's not enough for Zip Rail opponents such as Rep. Steve Drazkowski, who wants to insert language into a bill to drive yet another stake through the project, removing any reference to Zip Rail in the state rail plain. Drazkowski previously has tried to link Zip Rail to limiting Rochester and Olmsted County's options with Destination Medical Center.

Zip Rail opponents in Dodge County also drove another stake through it last month at a meeting of the Dodge County Rail Authority, reaffirming a three-year-old resolution against the long-defunct project.

To repeat: There's no one in a position of authority regarding trains, planes or automobiles who believes Zip Rail is undead. It's dead. . . .

But I asked Senjem's Rochester Republican colleague, Sen. Carla Nelson, and she says Zip Rail is more in the zombie category. "Nothing is dead until the gavel drops and we adjourn sine die, which is the first first Monday after the third Saturday in an even year -- May 21, 2018.

"Of course, there is always the next legislative session, at which time anything can happen."

Having watched the Minnesota Legislature for years, we're inclined to agree with Nelson. And short of a real zombie outbreak, the legislature will continue to meet, year in, year out.

Photo: Zombie Ziprail isn't exactly like this. It just seems like it (above); Anti-Zombie Ziprail signs near Rochester, Minnesota.

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Mar 27, 2017

The debate over when voters get to cull election fields has been around Minnesota’s Capitol for years, but June primary advocates hope it has finally shifted in their favor. Their push has the backing of Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton, incoming Republican House Speaker Kurt Daudt and key state party officials. Opponents are fine-tuning arguments that a June election brings more pitfalls than benefits. . . .

State Democratic Party Chairman Ken Martin expects to join forces with GOP counterpart Keith Downey, who has advocated for a June primary in the past. Daudt, now the top House member, has previously been chief sponsor of the legislation.

The proposal’s fate rests with buy-in from rank-and-file legislators, many of whom take personal considerations into account. For one, the Legislature typically meets until late May, tying lawmakers down in St. Paul when potential primary challengers are freed up to campaign back in the district. There’s also the prospect of special sessions creating a backdrop where legislators on overtime face the real-time wrath of an annoyed electorate.

Hope springs eternal, and bills (HF729/SF514) are working their way through the Minnesota House and Senate to make it so.

As we read the House bill, Minnesota's 2018 primary would be the first to be affected by the legislation (often bills that change the election calendar don't take effect until the next campaign cycle but not so here) and the 2018 primary would be held on Tuesday,June 19, 2018.

Curious about how that might affect the campaign calendar, we reached out to Secretary of State Steve Simon's communication office for a schedule. Communications director Ryan Furlong sent us this chart comparing the calendar according to current statute with the one for a June primary should the law be passed:

Schedule of Events in 2018

If the Primary is moved to the 1stTuesday after the 3rdMonday in June

Current 2018 Proposed 2018

Party Caucuses date Feb 6 or party determined date Feb 6 or party determined date

According to staff at the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library (MLRL), the date to reconvene on even years is set late in the odd-year session. Following this tradition, no date has been set for the legislature to get it together in 2018.

Other March starts? March 6, 1984 and March 1, 2006. While there were a few late February convenings, the sessions mostly started between mid-January and mid-February since the 1972 amendment was passed.

Those lawmakers wishing to retain partisan endorsements will have to influence party activists by the caucus on February 6, 2018, since that's when the delegate selection and endorsement process begins. That partisan endorsement calendar will have to be truncated in order for the state parties to endorse a candidate before the filing deadline of April 10.

Dave Hughes, the 2016 Republican candidate who came relatively close to knocking the old Blue Dog off the house, is also running again. Hughes won the 2016 endorsement on April 30, 2016. Seventh District Republicans would have to hold their endorsing convention before the April 10, 2018, filing date for Miller to file for his state house seat again should the delegates give Hughes a second chance; candidates cannot file for two offices.

There's talk that the DFL might exhume and fluff up former state senator Lyle Koenen for the 17A seat; if it's an open seat, there's a chance that the salting of the earth against Koenen by the Freedom Club PAC might not deter voters from selecting the genial Clara City politician. Lots of House seniority there from the years when he served in the House prior to the late Gary Kubly's death.

It's not just Miller who will have to make the choice between a secure seat in the Minnesota House or constitutional office (and for some DFL constitutional officers, that position and the governor's office). On the Republican side, we're told in the media that Speaker Kurt Daudt, R-Crown, representative Sarah Anderson, R-Plymouth, and representative Matt Dean, R-Dellwood, are potential contenders for the opening left by Mark Dayton's retirement.

On the DFL side of the aisle: start with the ambitions of Paul Thissen, DFL-Minneapolis, who lost the endorsement at the state convention in 2010 to former Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, DFL-Minneapolis. The legislature had adjourned, but the August primary allowed Thissen to file for his House seat and stay in the game. Former Range representative Tommy Rukavina and Roseville's senator John Marty did the same.

Unless the DFL and Republican state conventions occur before the April 10 deadline, one can foresee crowded primary ballots on June 19--potentially with the likes of Daudt, Anderson and Dean gone from the House Republican caucus in 2019, while Thissen, Rochester's Tina Leibling and St. Paul's Erin Murphy gone from the DFL caucus. For state auditor Rebecca Otto, a declared candidate, and attorney general Lori Swanson, long a rumored candidate, there'd be no turning back from whatever office they filed by April 10. Congressman Tim Walz, who declared himself as a gubernatorial candidate Monday, would also have no way of doubling back in the First.

Should the parties hold all endorsing conventions for state house districts, congressional districts and state constitutional offices by April 10, Bluestem thinks that furious calendar will leave a lot of exhausted activists. Since no one knows when the 2018 session begins, we hesitate to speculate about the stamina of the lawmakers themselves.

The Minnesota DFL is proud to announce the location for the 2018 State DFL Convention. From June 8-10, 2018, Minnesota DFLers will gather in Rochester, MN at the newly remodeled Mayo Civic Center to endorse candidates and conduct official party business.

“The Minnesota DFL has a rich history of investing in our state’s future, defending the civil and human rights of all citizens, and constantly working to move our state forward without leaving anyone behind. When the DFL convenes in Rochester in June of 2018, we will be making critical endorsements that will directly affect the lives of Minnesota’s families.

From June 8-10, 2018 DFL delegates will vote to endorse candidates for Secretary of State, State Auditor, Attorney General, the next Governor and Lt. Governor of Minnesota, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar.

“We are excited to bring our delegates together at the Mayo Civic Center in Rochester to endorse candidates for statewide office. With the results of the 2016 election playing out in the state legislature, Minnesotans are seeing what happens when Republicans are in control. The outcome of the 2018 election is crucial to our state’s future and the DFLers who will gather in Rochester understand the responsibility to endorse great candidates that will continue to build a better Minnesota for all.”

Regardless of the month of the primary, it's probably wise of the DFL to take a mulligan on this one, since even without passage of HF729/SF514, Minnesota House Democrats considering running for constitutional offices would have to chose their office by the current June 5 filing date--just before heading to Rochester. DFL communications director Rachel Boyer confirmed that the party was re-scheduling the date of the convention.

Poor planning or an evil Martinian plot to favor one contender over another? We're not close enough to speculate on just what that was about.

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In February, Dayton indicated he could veto bills perceived as weakening the authority of the state Public Utilities Commission — a group appointed by the governor that regulates the state's electricity, gas and telephone companies. . . .

A common complaint handled by the PUC concerns additional fees some co-op customers are charged after installing solar panels or wind generators.

These customers say the grid connection fees — ranging from $7 to $83 — were a disincentive to install sources of renewable energy. The co-ops say the fees are needed to cover their fixed costs.

The legislation would have sent these disputes to a third-party mediator, not the PUC. But "it does not provide any guidance on how this mediation would work," Dayton said in his letter.

"All Minnesota customers — from family farmers to large businesses — should be able to invest in technology to produce clean and efficient energy with the assurance that the PUC is available to provide consumer protection," the governor said.

Check out the entire article at the Strib.

Cartoon: Ken Avidor for Bluestem Prairie. Some rural co-op customers (they're called "members," but if a person in the co-op's service area wants to get on the electrical grid, there's no alternative suppler) told Bluestem that they felt their rural electrical co-ops were committed to long-term contracts for coal-produced energy, not solar energy produced by members.

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I am normally a pretty accepting person. However, when people who are supposedly in decision-making positions make statements that are perplexing, to say the least, with no factual backing, I feel I need an explanation. Such a statement was made at a town hall meeting awhile back by Rep. Steve Green concerning the "magic healing powers" of water. Not only was his statement that "water will heal itself" perplexing, it was downright comical. What science are you using, Steve? Or are you a member of the state and federal tribe that denies science? If we are to believe you, when toxic chemicals, farm waste, including fertilizers, or fossil-fuel by-products (oil or coal sludge) get into our aquifers, lakes, streams and wetlands, these polluted places will automatically and magically be healed. Or should we believe tremendous volumes of scientific research that say it will take decades, if not centuries, for these areas to be healed? Which is it?

Included in your statements that day, you also made mention of the buffer zones along water courses. You want these eliminated because you seem to believe that this is a property rights issue. You obviously believe that the public's right to clean water is superseded by your rights to do whatever right up to the water's edge or in areas of porous soil types. On this you are dead wrong

Your effort to dismantle the environmental controls of both MPCA and DNR is some of the most misguided and dangerous abuses of elected authority in recent memory. No amount of explanation will eliminate the fact that you truly and sincerely believe that you are right. So, which is it, Steve? Do you deny or believe proven science?

We'll continue to keep an eye out for Representative Green's sassy constituents, who certainly are getting lippy up there.

Photo: Rep. Steve Green, R-Fosston.

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Mar 17, 2017

Minnesotans who follow the state legislature know if there's anything related to the environment that incites the House Republicans, it's climate change, solar energy, environmental education and land acquisition, even if Minnesotans want spending for those items.

Thus, it wasn't a surprise to watch the Minnesota House Environment and Natural Resources Policy and Finance Committee strip over 20 projects recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources from HF1625, the lottery trust fund bill on Thursday morning.

The amount of money meant to benefit Minnesota’s environment and natural resources remained largely the same, but how that money would be spent was the subject of sharp disagreement among members of the House Environment and Natural Resources Policy and Finance Committee Thursday.

Sponsored by Rep. Josh Heintzeman (R-Nisswa), HF1265 would appropriate more than $59 million based on recommendations made by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources for expenditures from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund. The fund was established through a constitutional amendment in 1988 to direct proceeds from the state lottery and investment income to benefit those resources.

During the hearing, Minneapolis DFLer Jean Wagenius reminded the committee members that Governor Dayton hoped to fund CREP through bonding, while the deleted projects, which had withstood a long vetting process by staff and members of the LCCMR, were not eligible for bonding. Mohr continues:

“There are some differences of opinion on some of these particular items,” Heintzeman said. “In order to try and move this bill forward we had to make some adjustments.” . . .

But DFL committee members objected to cuts made to projects focused on climate change, solar power, environmental education and land acquisitions. And they said that although they support funding for the conservation reserve program, other sources for those dollars were under consideration and could be used.

Rep. Frank Hornstein (DFL-Mpls) said some of deletions were “unconscionable” and that he was very disappointed.

“We cannot continue to deny the reality of climate change, and we’ve done that again in this bill,” he said.

Rep. Rick Hansen (DFL-South St, Paul) said he understood the need to fashion a bill that would find enough votes to pass, but he also wants legislation that would benefit Minnesotans.

A number of testifiers also spoke against the amended bill, including LCCMR co-chair Jeff Broberg, who said the committee had done many hours of work to arrive at its recommendations and that cutting 25 projects undermined the process.

“We went through a very deliberative process to come up with a series of recommendations that we think best serves the state of Minnesota,” Broberg said.

I would encourage you to watch the video. We did not start on time as the Republicans did not have enough votes to pass their amendment stripping out the projects referenced.

The amendment ended up passing by a 11-10 split, with Steve Green, R-Fosston, joining the DFLers on the committee in opposing the changes.

Here's the Youtube; Bluestem will be updating this post with excerpts from the entire mess. As is the case for all Mn House Information Services video archives, what home viewers saw before the committee was called to order is stripped from the footage (usually, the delays are much less deliberate). However, Bluestem did get a screengrab of Chair Fabian and Minority Lead Hansen returning to their seats after one of several huddles before the show began It's at the top of this post.

Screengrab: Pre-gavel drama at the Minnesota state capitol. Chair Fabian is the man walking on the far side of the committee table, while Minority lead Hansen is in the lower left hand corner of the photo.

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More than 52,000 people died of drug overdoses in 2015, and roughly two-thirds of them had used prescription opioids like OxyContin or Vicodin or illegal drugs like heroin, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those overdoses have jumped 33 percent in the past five years alone, with some states reporting the death toll had doubled or more.

“It drives what I do,” said Minnesota state Sen. Chris Eaton, a Democrat from Brooklyn Center whose daughter, Ariel, died almost 10 years ago. “It’s a crisis. We’re losing a generation.”

In trying to increase regulation of opioids, lawmakers are up against powerful adversaries. A joint investigation by the Associated Press and the Center for Public Integrity last fall found that pharmaceutical companies and allied groups spent more than $880 million nationwide on lobbying and campaign contributions from 2006 through 2015.

The industry group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America and Purdue Pharma, one of the nation’s largest opioid manufacturers, did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday on pending legislation in Minnesota and elsewhere.

Based on a lobbyist registration on March 10, the interests of the latter stakeholder will no longer be defenseless against grieving parents serving in the Minnesota state legislature or citizens outraged by the surge in drug overdoses statewide. Linda Barefoot has registered to lobby in Minnesota on behalf of Purdue Pharma LP with the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board.

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"A lot of you people out there think I'm anti-clean water. Believe me, I'm not," Green said, adding that his research finds water quality is greatly improving.

"To get to where there's no trend in pollution, you have to be improving," he stated, citing a Minnesota Pollution Control Agency report from 2014.

"Water cleans itself. We don't go in and put anything in to clean it. What we do is stop polluting it and it actually cleans itself," Green said. . . .

A retired biology teacher stood up to counter Green's assertion that there is less water pollution. Phosphorus levels are, in fact, getting worse in Minnesota's lakes and rivers, he said. . . .

Green is pushing for a state Constitutional amendment that replaces the Clean Water, Land and Legacy amendment with funding dedicated to roads and bridges.

Minnesota voters approved the Legacy amendment in 2008.

"Especially read Section 4 prohibiting any state employee from expressing opposition to the proposed amendment, which clearly violates the U.S. Constitution guaranteeing freedom of speech," Hitchcock said. "Those who voted for the original Legacy amendment recognized the need to protect and enhance and restore the very things that not only make Minnesota attractive to residents but also serve as an economic engine for the millions of visitors to the state."

"Why would you gut the whole spirit of the state to fix roads and bridges rather than enact the necessary taxes for that work?"

The lengthy list of public officials who would fall under the gag order include the director of Explore Minnesota Tourism and the Governor, Hitchcock said.

Hubbard County Soil and Water Conservation District Supervisor Lynn Goodrich said that he, too, would be among those prohibited from speaking against Green's amendment.

One-third of Legacy amendment funding is supposed to go toward clean water projects, Green replied, but approximately 10 percent does.

Legacy money is also used to purchase private land and convert it to public land enhancements, he continued, removes the land from tax rolls.

"Is this really how you want the money spent?" Green asked.

The audience responded with "Absolutely!" and "Yes!" . . .

Read the rest at the Park Rapids Enterprise. It's not just Green's war on the environment that voters at the town hall challenged. Among other things, there's this gem:

The Republican lawmaker suggested that most voter fraud occurs in Hennepin County. Green claimed there were 24,000 new voter registrations that had no one living at those addresses in the 2008 election of Senator Al Franken.

The audience audibly sniggered their disapproval. A few called him a "liar."

Rep. Green, please stop casting unfounded aspersions on our voting system. On Feb. 18 at the League of Women Voters meeting in Park Rapids, Rep. Steve Green more than once made the statement that there were 24,000 same day voter registrations in the 2008 Coleman-Franken Minnesota Senate race that had no one living at that address. He further stated that these votes were fraudulently cast. When asked where he got this information from, he said that it came from the Secretary of State's office. He used this example as proof that our voting system is not secure.

Rep. Green's statement is just not true! We have called the Secretary of State and gotten the same answer — there is no record of 24,000 (or any number for that matter) of same day registrations that were fraudulent. I have also independently researched this subject and have been unable to find any evidence of these fraudulent votes. I emailed Rep. Green over a week ago letting him know what I have found and still await a response.

It's time for the truth! Our voting system is safe, secure and to be trusted.

Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, a Republican from Nisswa, said he could only speak for Minnesota, but voter fraud didn't seem to be a problem in the state. Recounts that have taken place in the state changed vote tallies only slightly, he pointed out Friday.

"I'm not worried about that in Minnesota," he said. "I don't know what's happening around the country—I don't know if he's seeing information I'm not seeing—but at least in Minnesota, I think it runs very well."

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Eager to avoid the kind of contentious finish that has marred recent legislative sessions, and trying to build political support for his priorities, Gov. Mark Dayton in recent weeks has stepped up outreach to state lawmakers in a series of bipartisan private meetings.

The goal is to advance his own understanding of what matters to legislators and “find areas of common ground,” Dayton said in a recent interview. Topics at the four small-group meetings so far were transportation, energy, higher education and public schools. He also meets regularly with legislative leaders from both parties. . . .

But not so much for Fabian:

Still, it’s not easy to please all 201 legislators.

Rep. Dan Fabian, R-Roseau, said he was frustrated by a recent meeting with officials with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency — led by a Dayton appointee — to discuss his bill to overhaul environmental permitting and eliminate the Environmental Quality Board. Fabian, chairman of the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee, said he was told the governor opposed his bill and would not negotiate its contents. The meeting, scheduled for an hour, ended after only a few minutes, he said.

“I understand we have some differences,” Fabian said. “When do we not have differences around this place? I get that. But in order to be able to address our differences and move on and come to some sort of agreement, we need to talk about stuff. Would you say I’m frustrated? Yes, very much.”

Jaime Tincher, Dayton’s chief of staff, said that’s not unusual: “Members of the Governor’s Cabinet and senior staff regularly negotiate with members of the Legislature, but only Mark Dayton was elected by the people of Minnesota to be their governor and make decisions on their behalf,” she said in a statement responding to Fabian’s criticism.

Well, there's that. But testimony by Minnesota Commissioner of Agriculture, Dave Frederickson, who chairs the Environmental Quality Board, shared a beef of his own in his committee testimony: that Fabian never approached him about the purpose and need for his bill to eliminate the EQB, which Frederickson believes is highly regarded by citizens around the state.

Just watch the end of his testimony here:

Let's review: Fabian doesn't have to meet with the Dayton commissioner who chairs the EQB to talk about why the Roseau Republican feels the board has to go, but if MPCA staffers don't immediately concede ground, he cuts off a planned hour meeting within minutes.

Under the guise of streamlining, the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce is trying to turn Minnesota’s environmental review laws upside down.

The Chamber bill, HF 1291, puts polluters in charge and, in the process, cuts Minnesotans who may be affected by new pollution out of the process. Let us count the ways:

1. It is hard to say which provision in the Chamber bill is the worst, but the one letting the polluter prepare its own environmental impact statement would be in anyone’s top three list. So instead of the agency gathering information about the proposed project and asking for public comment, the agency is relegated to determining the completeness of the proposers “EIS” and possibly modifying it without having gathered the underlyingl data that would inform good decision making. More subtly, if the proposer drafts the EIS, what role does the public now have? Moreover, there would no longer be public access to the documents used to draft the EIS; government documents are subject to the Data Practices Act but private company documents are not.

2. Affected citizens would no longer be able to request a contested case hearing to review a mining permit or any other decision related to a mining permit.

3. Agencies would be required to start a permit at the same time they start environmental review even though the information gathered in the environmental review is supposed be the foundation for the permit. Public input is undercut if the permit is underway before the public has a chance to weigh in.

4. A draft permit must be given to the applicant for comment before it is issued. The public that will be affected by the project doesn’t have the same right.

5. A proposer who has the ability to pay extra can get an expedited permit leaving those without extra money –new or smaller businesses–at the back of the line.

7. The Environmental Quality Board is eliminated, eliminating another opportunity for citizens to participate, eliminating sunshine.

Unfortunately, there is more but one does get the picture!

Let's hope the Governor vetoes this one if and when it reaches his desk.

Photo: Dan Fabian, who believes the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce made him an offer the Dayton Administration better not refuse.

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Mar 02, 2017

We're starting to see one genuine rural-metro divide in Greater Minnesota media. Republican lawmakers carry on in legislative committees and to metro media about how their constituents hate environmental regulations almost as much as they hate the metro.

Meanwhile, reports in their districts' small town newspapers report that their constituents are showing up at town hall, demanding protection for the environment and the creatures in it.

About 30 area residents showed up last Friday to voice their concerns at a Town Hall meeting that brought Rep. Paul Anderson, R-Starbuck, and Sen. Torrey Westrom, R-Elbow Lake, to the Pope County Courthouse in Glenwood during the legislative session.

After those comments, Anderson was questioned about the mowing of state road ditches. He said it had been a major issue through committee hearings and said that at this point the bill would “take away the permit” requirements and remove the any regulation on a date for mowing. Right now, the law, that’s been on the books for nearly 30 years, states that the state road ditches cannot be mowed before Aug. 1. That, he said, was never enforced until the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) decided to enforce it this year.

One of those attending the meeting, said there is a real issue with diminishing numbers of bees, butterflies and other pollinators and “I really think we shouldn’t be cutting everything and start considering what’s happening to our pollinators.”

Anderson stated that he thought that there were other ways to increase and save pollinators, explaining that the there is another 8 million in state land that could be better utilized for pollinators. He also stated that there are about 250,000 acres of state roadside ditches and if the cost is just $10 an acre to mow, farmers are saving the state about $2.5 million per year. “You have to consider that too,” Anderson said.

Another attendee suggested that it was nonsensical to spend all this time “getting rid of plants and now we’re going to have to start replanting those same plants somewhere else. An example was the milkweed.

When asked if there could be some kind of compromise on the date for mowing, Anderson said he would be open to that, since he didn’t think the Governor would sign a bill that allows mowing of ditches at any time.

Residents at the meeting began peppering Anderson and Westrom, who showed up a few minutes late and walked in during the road ditch discussion.

“The problem is the monolithic landscape, one man said. “There’s no flowers for insects or grass for cover, just all corn and soybeans.”

“I agree we need to help our pollinators and that’s important but I’m not sure if not mowing road ditches will help. “Well why should we spend thousands of dollars reclaiming habitat, when we already have it with road ditches?” another asked.

Buffer strips along the state’s waterways, something Gov. Mark Dayton has championed, was also part of the discussion and most at the meeting were in favor of buffer strips to protect waterways. One woman said she moved to Minnesota years ago from North Dakota and said “the lakes now are not the lakes of my childhood.”

She also said that legislators are always talking about costs and thinking in terms of such a idolatrous economy instead of “doing something to hold on to our clean water, land and something beautiful.” . . .

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Mar 01, 2017

Watching the Minnesota House Environmental and Natural Resources Committee hear bills often seems like a visit to a parallel universe. As we go about our business in far west central Minnesota, buying baked goods (try the scones at Lingonberry in Ortonville), groceries, a fishing license and so forth, people want our natural world to be protected.

Not so with the majority leadership of the House committee, who rage against permitting and geese that poop (plenty of those around Big Stone Lake and the nearby federal wildlife area).

But it's not just us. The Minnesota Environmental Partnership just sent us a press release that reveals the dirty hippies of Big Stone County aren't alone in our nature-hugging attitudes:

At the same time when Minnesota Legislators are debating a torrent of rollbacks shows that Minnesotans of all backgrounds and regions are concerned about our environmental protections and don't want to see proposals that would roll back those protections.

The Minnesota Environmental Partnership (MEP) released a statewide public opinion research poll today. According to the results, nearly three in four Minnesotans (74%) are concerned about rollbacks of our law s that protect our land, air, and water.

"Over the past seven weeks, we've seen a torrent of proposals in the Minnesota Legislature rolling back our environmental safeguards that protect the air we breathe, water we drink, and land we use," said MEP Executive Director Steve Morse. "There have been dozens of proposed rollbacks to our water quality standards; clean, renewable energy systems; equitable transportation options; and more.

"Minnesota voters from all across the state are looking for bold leaders, who stand up for our natural resources, not ones who compromise our core Minnesota values."

The survey of 502 Minnesotans was conducted February 1-5, 2017, by a bipartisan team — Public Opinion Strategies, which conducts polling for Republican candidates, and Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates, which specializes in polling for Democratic candidates — includes a 5.3% margin of statewide sampling error.The poll conducted additional surveys in rural Minnesota to gain a more complete picture of public attitudes in these regions of the state.

The study found that:

Minnesotans broadly agree that we need more environmental protections, not fewer, with 62% agreeing that our environmental laws should be tougher or better enforced.

Statewide, 70% of voters would view their legislator less favorably if their legislator voted to weaken environmental laws. The study showed little difference in voters from rural Minnesota (69%) vs those from more urban areas (71%).

Water pollution and disappearing pollinators rank as Minnesota's most urgent environmental concerns.

The Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment has seen growing overwhelming support. The Amendment passed with a 56-39 margin in 2008, and today, three out of four (75%) of Minnesotans support the Legacy Amendment.

81% of Minnesotans are concerned about runoff from farms polluting Minnesota's lakes, rivers, and streams.

83% of Minnesotans support the phasing out of the use of pesticides proven to harm pollinators.

We've downloaded the full poll and embed it below for our readers' easy access:

. . . The public is invited to express their preferences for the new plate design with an online survey that will be featured on the DNR’s home page here until 5 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 7.

Following the public comment period, the plate designs will be assessed by law enforcement representatives for legibility and visibility. Finally, state commissioners Tom Landwehr, DNR, and Mona Dohman, Public Safety, will consider all recommendations to select the winning design.

The pollinator plate will be the newest in a series of 10 critical habitat license plates available for sale at deputy registrar offices statewide.

“Minnesota’s native pollinators play a critical role in maintaining healthy food sources for humans and wildlife,” said Crystal Boyd, DNR entomologist. “They also pollinate plants that improve water quality, prevent soil erosion, store carbon and beautify our landscapes.” The Minnesota Wildlife Action Plan currently lists 33 butterflies and moths and five bumble bees as species in greatest conservation need.

Proceeds from the sale of critical habitat license plates have generated more than $40 million for conservation projects in Minnesota since they first went on sale in 1996.

Bluestem has posted the three finalists at the top of this post. Go vote for your favorite at the one-question online survey on the DNR’s home page here until 5 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 7.

Image: the three final designs, from the online survey.

If you appreciate our posts and original analysis, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 33166 770th Ave, Ortonville, MN 56278) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the paypal subscription button.

That skepticism comes as the status of the private company that had been pushing the project is unclear. The North American High Speed Rail Group had been leading the charge to do something never before done in America — privately fund a high-speed rail line.The company estimated the $4.2 billion rail line could make the trip from Rochester to Bloomington within 29 minutes.

But questions are swirling as to what has happened to the ail group. Visitors to North American High Speed Rail Group's website are instead referred to a website for "Minnesota Corridor." Wendy Meadley, who served as the rail group's chief strategy officer, states on her LinkedIn page that she left the company in October. She also terminated her status as a lobbyist for the rail group on Nov. 2, according to the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board.

Meadley declined a request for comment.

Records show that Meadley purchased the web domain name for Minnesota Corridor — mnhsr.com. Meanwhile, Joseph Wang's LinkedIn page still lists him as chairman and CEO of the North American High Speed Rail Group. Wang could not be reached for comment.

Minnesota Department of Transportation spokesman Kevin Gutknecht said the agency has not heard from the rail group or "anyone on a related topic for a number of months."

This lack of activity might encourage some to suggest that proposed legislation should be dropped as does one Rochester Republican, Carlson reports:

Some fellow Republican lawmakers are speaking out against the legislation — not because of what is in the bill but because they do not believe the high-speed rail project is going to happen.

"It seems like a waste of energy. It's probably great for voters in their districts. I just don't see it having any real impact," said Rep. Nels Pierson, R-Rochester.

Opponents of the proposed high-speed rail line are also left wondering what happened to the rail group. Heather Arndt, co-chairwoman of Citizens Concerned About Rail, said it has been nearly a year since she talked to Meadley. Despite the uncertainty surrounding the private company, she said it is important rail opponents keep up the fight.

"Until it's good, dead, buried and six feet under, we're staying engaged," Arndt said. "We're continuing to work with elected officials at all levels and stay engaged and watch it. These are our homes and our communities and businesses and we are not going to walk away from it while it could still come back around."

Sound strategy, given the fact that this zombie project has yet to experience clear head shot. Since first learning about concerns about the project from Minnesota Farmers Union members while serving as a member of the group's policy committee, this seemed like a "flyover" project that positioned convenience over local landowners and communities needs and rights.

Read about the legislation against the project in the Post Bulletin article.

Image: Marge Simpson found the passenger rail project office in the cartoon series. It's been a bit harder pinning down the folks behind the southeastern Minnesota private rail project.

JANUARY FUNDRAISING DRIVE

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Jan 21, 2017

Bluestem has known and appreciated Renville County farmer Gary Wertish for many years, and as a Farmers Union member, we were pleased to learn via twitter that he was elected as Minnesota Farmers Union President in a three-way contest with former state senators Lyly Koenen and Vicki Jensen.

. . . “Today marks a new era within the Farmers Union organization. Being elected as the new president is humbling,” Wertish said in a news release announcing his election.

Wertish has been serving as the interim president since Peterson’s retirement at the end of December. Prior to that Wertish served as vice president of the Minnesota Farmers Union since 2009. He also worked as a field representative for the union and served as Senator Mark Dayton’s agricultural director.

Wertish farms with one of his sons, growing corn, soybeans and navy beans. He lives in Renville with his wife Jeanne. The couple has four children.

Please donate! If you enjoy Bluestem's take on the news--and our investigative blogging--please consider throwing some spare change into our paypal account during our January contribution drive. Bluestem relies on reader contributions to continue publishing.

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Jan 11, 2017

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency will be hosting three open houses on the wild rice sulfate standard rulemaking in January 2017. The main purpose is to provide the interested public with an opportunity to learn more about the MPCA's proposed approach for revisions to its wild rice sulfate water quality standard before the proposed rule goes on public notice later in 2017. MPCA staff will be available to provide information about the agency's proposed approach to protect wild rice from sulfate, the list of proposed wild rice waters, the rulemaking schedule and upcoming opportunities for public comment.

Additional information about the wild rice sulfate water quality standard is available here.

Scientists say high levels of sulfate in water damages wild rice by increasing sulfides and restricting plant growth. PCA officials — under pressure from mining companies, state lawmakers and environmental and tribal groups — are working to find out what levels of sulfate can be allowed and still protect wild rice beds.

Photo: Photo credit, University of Minnesota, National Center for Earth-Surface Dynamics.

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The prospect of a high-speed rail line slicing through the rural stretch of land between the Twin Cities and Rochester, and financed by Chinese and other private investors, is to some an exquisite dream.

To others, it’s folly.

. . .[A] privately held Bloomington firm called the North American High Speed Rail Group (NAHSR) is keeping the idea of a high-speed rail line alive. Recently the group said that it was reorganizing and is now known as the Minnesota Corridor Project. None of NAHSR’s officers has experience developing such a project. [emphasis added]

The group’s reorganization will continue to meet opposition from a determined grass-roots group called Citizens Concerned About Rail Line (CCARL) and several southern Minnesota lawmakers.

It might be helpful for the newly reorganized group tell the Minnesota Secretary of State's office about that new name as well.

While Meadley owns the domain name, she doesn't list either the North American High Speed Rail Group nor the Minnesota Corridor as current employers in her LinkedIn profile (below) as of January 9, 2017. Of course, there's no law (that we know of) requiring the Social Wendy Group to actualize its client list.

We could go on....as must likely this grifters' dreamscape will appear every once in a while, as did "Wendy Meadley sitting on a bench on the ground floor of the State Office Bldg" last Thursday, a source tells us in an email.

Screenshots: Top: the Minnesota Corridor's website (side note--thank heavens CCARL is good about keeping screenshots of the old pages in case journalists ever want documentation of earlier manifestations of the project. Bottom: Wendy Meadley's LinkedIn profile as of January 9, 2017.

Please donate! If you enjoy Bluestem's take on the news--and our investigative blogging--please consider throwing some spare change into our paypal account during our January contribution drive. Bluestem relies on reader contributions to continue publishing.

If you appreciate our posts and original analysis, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 33166 770th Ave, Ortonville, MN 56278) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post.

Jan 04, 2017

Representative Jeff Backer (R-Browns Valley) and Senator Torrey Westrom (R-Elbow Lake) will be co-hosting a town hall meeting next Friday, January 6th at 8:00 AM at The Inadvertent Café in Clinton, MN (131 Main St.).

“I look forward to co-hosting this joint town hall with my Senator,” said Backer. “I encourage people to come with their questions, comments, concerns, and suggestions for the upcoming legislative session.”

“I would like to echo the comments of the Representative,” said Westrom. “I am excited to hear from our community; I’m glad we were able to get this event put together.”

This will be a good opportunity to bring concerns to the representative and senator in person. While Big Stone County Commissioner and author Brent Olson fully well knows as cafe operator that you can't make an omelet without breaking eggs, if you want to toast or grill the politicians, please be civil about it.

Photo: The Inadvertent Cafe, via Star Tribune.

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